War had come to Logres.
The armies of Malahaut had moved south into Lindsey. The Centurion King, reinforced by Saxons from Deira and Picts from beyond the Wall, intended to take what land and wealth he could from the divided kingdom. Duke Corneus of Lindsey did not have the strength to withstand this incursion. He was one of the few experienced leaders remaining in Logres,and had kept his lands together during the first years of the anarchy. But this was a threat beyond his strength. It was not, however, beyond King Nanteleod. In his bid to become High King, he had now unified almost a quarter of Britain behind him. Now he was intent on defeating the men of Malahaut. Defending Logres would bring him Duke Corneus' support, and solidify his claim to the throne. To this end, his armies were mustering for war once more.
The knights of Salisbury were divided as to whether they would support King Nanteleod's war or not. Word had come from Salisbury that the Saxons had abandoned Sarum. A terrible black dragon with the unlikely name of Hob-Nob had attacked the city and claimed it as its lair. Many had perished, and the citizens, as well as their Saxon overlords, had fled to safer lands. There had also been word of a rampaging giant moving through Salisbury. This giant had even attacked Amesbury, where Saint Gwiona managed to calm it down and convert it to Christianity. He was baptized and named Christopher, and then set out to confront the dragon Hob-Nob. After a mighty battle which left much of the city in ruins, Christopher slew Hob-Nob and carried the dragon's corpse back into the mountains with him.
Sarum was thus ripe for the taking. Sir Helbur's lady wife Jenna, the acting Countess of Salisbury, had given her husband an ultimatum: become the leader that the people needed and reclaim Salisbury from the Saxons, or begone from her sight forever. However, he was unsure that he could hold Sarum once it was taken, without the support of King Nanteleod. Sir Cuthbert was keen to charge recklessly to battle and glory as well. The Questing Beast, the faerie-touched hound that was his companion, had begun to stray from home for longer and longer, and so a battle could help Sir Cuthbert keep his mind off his problems. Sir Edwin felt reclaiming Salisbury was the honourable path to follow, thinking all the while of his own homeland of Devon, which was now firmly under the thumb of the King of Cornwall. But Sir Jeremy did not feel that attacking Salisbury would be practical at this time, and Sir Bleddyn felt that supporting King Nanteleod now would be the best in the long run. In fact, King Nanteleod had secretly asked him to sabotage the mission, not wanting to be implicated in a war on a second front at this time.
After much argument, the knights decided not to go to reclaim Sarum, and to aid King Nanteleod in his war in the north instead. The King thanked the knights of Salisbury for their loyalty, and gave them a different task instead. They must travel north to Lindsey before the armies arrived, and talk to Duke Corneus. His army, currently holed up inside his castle at Lincoln, would be of considerable assistance to either side in the coming battle.
The knights took to road north to Lincoln. Upon the first night, as they made their camp, a woman approached looking for shelter. She was a young traveler, poor of garb, exotic of feature, and utterly beautiful. Several of the knights fell in love with her immediately, but none more passionately than Sir Jeremy, who was consumed by desire for the fair traveller. She introduced herself as Svenhilde of Thule, an itinerant fortune-teller. As it happened, she remembered the group: for they had passed through her village-in-exile in the Fens the previous year, and by their stories inspired her to travel herself. She told the group's future using her runestones: the omens for their task were positive. The next day, when the group set off, she decided to travel with them for protection, for the road could be dangerous for a fair maiden on her own.
At the next village that the knights proved through, Svenhilde's open and trusting nature became problematic. She was drawn into conversation with a group of mercenary knights. They wanted to join one side or the other in the upcoming battle, and Svenhilde was able to direct them towards King Nanteleod's encampment to the south. They were also interested in the Thulian maiden's traveling companions, and she told them all that they wished to know. But these were no mercenaries, but killers on a mission. Upon the road to the north, they ambushed the knights, intent upon their death.
The knights of Salisbury were caught by surprise. The murderous knights went after Sir Edwin immediately, and struck him down as Svenhilde screamed. Driven by his love for the fair maiden, Sir Jeremy rushed to defend her, and single-handedly held off two enemy knights for some time, before also being struck down. Sir Bleddyn and Sir Cuthbert counterattacked, slaying many of their attackers. However, one knight broke through, intent on killing Sir Edwin. Svenhilde flung herself in his way. Her incredible beauty made the knight pause for a time, until Sir Cuthbert could strike him down. Four of the attackers perished; the fifth fled, but Sir Bleddyn chased him down and slew him.
Sir Helbur checked the bodies of the assailants to find out what their motives were. They bore coin from the mainland, and Sir Bleddyn deduced that the knights must be hirelings of King Idres of Cornwall, who had considerable holdings on the mainland, as well as a motive to kill Sir Edwin, who was now the rightful Earl of Devon following the death of his brother. Meanwhile, Svenhilde tended to the wounds of the two fallen knights. With her tender ministrations, she was able to draw Sir Edwin and Sir Jeremy back from the brink of death. However, they would need somewhere close to rest and heal: they would not be able to travel far without their wounds re-opening, which would kill them.
Sir Cuthbert set off with the Questing Beast to locate some suitable shelter nearby. They were not close to any village, so they plunged into the hilly country off the road, which was enshrouded by mists. Sir Cuthbert heard the sound of a dog's bark and a woman singing, and followed it to find a small cottage. Outside, a few sheep grazed, watched by a young shepherdess and her dog. Gwendolyn was blind: the dog, Pelly, was her companion and protector. Sir Cuthbert was taken aback by the dog's name: it was the name of her father, who had visited nineteen years ago and lain with her mother for one knight. Clearly, Gwen was another illegitimate child of King Pellinore.
Gwen agreed to give shelter to the knights while they recovered. A priest from a nearby monastery came to her farmstead to care for the wounded Sir Edwin and Sir Jerome. The knights stayed where they were a few days, and Sir Cuthbert got to know Gwen better, going on walks with her. He had fallen in love with her, but was aware that a choice was upon him. He was the child of two worlds, but he was becoming more and more normal now, and was losing the touch of faerie. On the night that he lay with Gwen at last, the Questing Beast slipped away and returned to the Other Side. In the future, there would be other children who would be visited by a fey hound, to be their friend and companion until they no longer needed him...
The three hale knights left Gwendolyn and their wounded companions behind and set off upon the road once more, with Svenhilde in tow. They reached Lincoln later that day, and had dinner with the Duke. Sir Helbur spoke eloquently to sway Duke Corneus to King Nanteleod's side. However, the Duke had already decided to remain neutral and to throw his support behind the winner of the battle. The knights of Salisbury were disappointed but not surprised by his reply.
There were knights from Malahaut in Lincoln Castle as well, envoys from the Centurion King. Their leader, Sir Galvius, was smitten with Svenhilde and flirted shamelessly with her. He invented tall tales to impress her, which the maiden bought completely. However, trouble ensued when he began to tell one of the exploits of Sir Cadfael as if it were his own - not realising that Sir Cadfael's brother was in the hall. Sir Bleddyn half-heard the story of his brother's duel with Sir Catrin, and thought that Sir Galvius was extolling Sir Cadfael's virtues. In a rage, he attacked Sir Galvius in the Duke's own dining hall. Others dragged the two apart. The Duke was furious, and Sir Galvius challenged Sir Bleddyn to a duel to the death for his honour.
Sir Bleddyn was now in trouble. Sir Galvius was a better swordsman than he, and Sir Bleddyn was still wounded from the battle with the Cornish knights. Realistically, he knew that there was no way that he could win. For years, Sir Bleddyn had schemed and plotted, but had failed at putting his plans into action. This time, the prospect of his death drove him over the edge. He arranged for a bottle of drugged wine, and then convinced poor gullible Svenhilde to take it to her would-be lover. Svenhilde was infatuated with Sir Galvius at this point, due to the knight's feigned chivalrous behaviour. They shared the wine, and she granted the knight her favour and a kiss.
On the next day, Sir Bleddyn and Sir Galvius faced each other in the field of honour, with Duke Corneus and his court watching. Sir Galvius was slowed by the drugs, but his love for Svenhilde drove him to a reckless fury and he attacked Sir Bleddyn with no thought for his own defenses. He battered Sir Bleddyn to his knees. At the last moment, however, his love distracted him to glance at Svenhilde. Sir Bleddyn seized the opportunity and struck, and Sir Galvius' drugged reflexes were not swift enough to parry. Sir Galvius went down, and Svenhilde fainted (from shock and the effects of the drug) as Sir Bleddyn tore his foe's helmet off and smote off his head. Duke Corneus was furious, but the trial of honour had officially exonerated Sir Bleddyn, and no one suspected any foul play.
The two armies were near now. The knights of Salisbury went to rejoin King Nanteleod and prepare for the upcoming battle with Malahaut. Sir Cuthbert rode south on his own to rejoin Gwendolyn, where the priest tending his companions married the two of them. She was only a peasant, a fact which would shock his peers, but Sir Cuthbert had never really understood or cared about social conventions. Once they were married, he returned to the front line to join the armies. Sir Helbur was leading the forces of Salisbury. He had been invested with the position of Marshal of Salisbury earlier that year, in an attempt by his wife to pressure him into facing up to his duties.
The battle was a long one, in which the knights of both sides clashed in fierce battle. All three knights distinguished themselves upon the field, while Svenhilde won some renown of her own through her tireless work in the first aid tents. Sir Helbur was wounded and forced to withdraw from the field, and Sir Cuthbert led a charge deep into enemy lines towards the war banner of Malahaut. It was a point of honour to reclaim it, for attached to it was the Saxon war banner which the knights of Salisbury had presented to the Centurion King many years earlier. Sir Cuthbert fell in the fighting and was taken from the battlefield to recover, while Sir Bleddyn led the final push that toppled the battle standard. The Centurion King sounded the retreat, and the broken army of Malahaut fled north. King Nanteleod was the victor. Shortly after the battle, Duke Corneus officially submitted and swore fealty to King Nanteleod, thanking him for saving Lindsey.
The army returned south. King Nanteleod swore that he would spend one year in preparation, and then attack Salisbury. Sir Cuthbert brought his new wife with him, ignoring the jeers of other knights. He also visited Abbess Esther and converted to Christianity. Esther's loyal handmaiden Asher became Sir Cuthbert's new squire. Sir Helbur took Svenhilde on as his squire - further angering Lady Jenna, who was jealous of the beautiful maiden of Thule. Sir Bleddyn's reputation was on the rise after the duel and his part in the battle. The usually promiscuous Sir Jeremy was now more obsessed than ever with Svenhilde. And Sir Edwin sent King Idres the money which he had used to pay his assassins, accompanied by a letter that swore revenge...
